Men's Basketball

Bronco Men's Basketball Looking Forward to WCC Opener

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara men's basketball team begins league play this week when it travels to Malibu, Calif. for Friday's West Coast Conference opener at Pepperdine. The Broncos will play at Loyola Marymount on Saturday. Both games tipoff at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast locally on KBZS Radio (1220 AM) and on the Internet by clicking here.

Santa Clara enters conference play with an 8-7 overall mark against the toughest non-conference schedule in the WCC. The Broncos have faced a schedule that includes No. 2-ranked Stanford, Big Ten leader Purdue and four teams from the Western Athletic Conference. Santa Clara's non-conference schedule is ranked 33rd in the nation and its 14 Division I opponents have a combined record of 117-63 for a .650 winning percentage.

The Broncos also enter league action with the top Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) in the WCC and have the second-best winning percentage in the league since the 1994-95 season.

Pepperdine is 8-5 on the season following its 78-76 overtime win in the championship game of the AZCENTRAL.COM Holiday Tournament in Tempe, Ariz. The Waves have split their last four games but are 4-1 at home this season.

Loyola Marymount is 4-9 this season with five of its nine losses this season coming by five points or less. The Lions are coming off a 61-58 loss to San Diego State on Saturday.

The Broncos return home to the new Leavey Center on Jan. 18 for their WCC home opener with a 7:30 p.m. contest against Saint Mary's. Santa Clara will then face San Francisco on Jan. 20. Tickets are available by calling the athletic ticket office at 408/554-4660 or by clicking here.